The field of the disclosure relates generally to rotary machines, and more particularly to a system and method for removing stator vanes from a casing of a rotary machine.
At least some known rotary machines, such as gas turbines, include stages of rotor blades and cooperating stator vanes. At least some such known rotary machines are housed within a casing that is generally shaped like a horizontal tube, formed by an upper section and a lower section. In at least some such known rotary machines, the stator vanes are coupled to slots in an interior side of the casing and extend radially inward into a gas flow path. At least some such known stator vanes have a finite operational lifetime and eventually need maintenance or replacement. To replace at least some such known stator vanes, the upper and lower halves of the casing are uncoupled, and the stator vanes are slid along the slots to an edge of the casing for removal. However, after an operational lifetime of exposure of the stator vanes to conditions within the rotary machine, a significant amount of force may be required to uncouple at least some known stator vanes from their position in the slots and to slide them along the slots to the edge of the casing section. Because of, for example, a size and a concave shape of the casing sections, it is difficult to safely apply a mechanical force required to move at least some known stator vanes along the slots, particularly without damaging the slots and/or casing.